Mother of the World
| Support Type: | Canvas |
| Paint Type: | Tempera |
| Current Location: | Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York |
| Location History: | Sina Fosdick, New York (1940s); Nicholas Roerich Museum (on loan since 1949; acquisition, 1965) |
"Mother of the World" is a tempera painting from the series "Banners of the East" that was made by the artist Nicholas Roerich. He was an artist who was known for his use of colour and symbolism which he mixed using Eastern traditions and his experience in the West. His landscapes were bright and dynamic, using shape language to form religious icons and cultural symbols in a very unique way. This masterpiece shows an otherworldly view of a woman atop a mountain, her halos glowing like portals to another world. The view evokes science fiction imagery, although the symbolism of the majestic woman and her celestial robes point to a unified belief in the concept of "Mother". The Holy Mother is a motif seen across many religions and cultures from the beginning of time, with the arrival of the fertility myth which positioned woman as the creator of all mankind. The night setting further adds to the otherworldly and dream-like feelings that arise within the observer. The cool blue and purple tones harmonize to form a vision into a different plane of existence that Roerich weaves to show the divinity of woman. The small figures of humans on either side of her may be her believers and the small glowing motes of light may represent the souls of the enlightened or ascended people in her domain, forming starlight around her as she meditates upon her throne that seems to be upon a mountain. The painting is symmetrical except for the patterns of her clothes and the way her clothes fall asymmetrically, drawing the eye to the flower she cradles within her palms. This creates great visual interest due to the dramatic change in the centre of focus. The mixing of Eastern motifs of the Mother figure and Western beliefs of the Holy Virgin Mary of the Catholic Church, create this serene, divine nondescript figure of a woman in all her majesty that has a trinity of circles behind her alluding to the Holy Trinity and the unifying of various beliefs.